The Veda has four aspects, with the Ṛgveda being the first among them. According to ancient tradition, the sage Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana, also known as Vedavyāsa or Vyāsa, gathered all the existing Vedic mantras of his time and divided them into four groups.

This division was made for practical reasons. The mantras used by the priest hotā to invoke various deities during sacrifices were grouped together and called the Ṛgveda. Each of these mantras is known as a 'ṛc' or 'ṛk'.

The Ṛgveda consists of beautifully composed Sukta-s, which means 'beautiful statements'. Each collection of these well-crafted ṛk-s is referred to as a Sukta. The term 'ṛk' refers to mantras that praise, and 'Veda' means 'knowledge'.

Therefore, the literal meaning of Ṛgveda is the knowledge of the Suktas, which mostly praise the divine and are filled with good thoughts to inspire us. The ultimate goal of these mantras is to purify the human mind through knowledge. They aim to dispel darkness, which represents lack of knowledge and illusionary living, leading us away from righteousness and wisdom.

The Ṛgveda is considered the first scripture and serves as an authentic, concise, and poetic record of the life and society during its time. The Ṛgveda is divided into ten Maṇdalas, each containing a specific number of Anuvākas, Suktas, and Mantras. The distribution is as follows:

Maṇdala 1: 24 Anuvākas, 191 Suktas, and 2006 Mantras,
Maṇdala 2: 4 Anuvākas, 43 Suktas, and 429 Mantras.
Maṇdala 3: 5 Anuvākas, 62 Suktas, and 617 Mantras.
Maṇdala 4: 5 Anuvākas, 58 Suktas, and 589 Mantras.
Maṇdala 5: 6 Anuvākas, 87 Suktas, and 727 Mantras.
Maṇdala 6: 6 Anuvākas, 75 Suktas, and 765 Mantras.
Maṇdala 7: 6 Anuvākas, 104 Suktas, and 841 Mantras.
Maṇdala 8: 10 Anuvākas, 103 Suktas, and 1716 Mantras.
Maṇdala 9: 7 Anuvākas, 114 Suktas, and 1108 Mantras.
Maṇdala 10: 12 Anuvākas, 191 Suktas, and 1754 Mantras.

In total, the Ṛgveda comprises 10 Mandalas, 85 Anuvākas, 1028 Suktas, and 10,552 Mantras.